Orbats - The eyes in the sky

The Orbats are lifeforms created by The Bloated Moon, sorceress of Locastus, to act as her spies and servants. They are spun out of the marriage of the stuff of dreams that their mistress taps from the Well of Dreams (a gateway into the spirit world), and the coarse, mundane matter of the material world.

These hybrid entities take the form of a flying eyeball attached to a slim, dark snake´s body and with a pair of delicate, leathery wing sprouting from its back. The whole creature weighs less than a pound and has a wingspan of no more than 2 feet.

The quasi-natural material woven into their bodies gives them a slight resistance towards material concerns such as gravity, magic or the elements. The same dreamstuff also reduces the need for nutrient intake. The only time one can see them "feed" is when they circle the Moon´s barrow in great flocks to bask in the emanations from the Well of Dreams, far beneath the ground.

Orbats are hatched by the dozen in the incubation crèches in the catacombs beneath the Moon´s hilltop lair. They have a lifespan of 8-10 months before their delicate dreamstuff start to unravel by exposure to the material world.

Orbats communicates via a primitive form of telepathy, the residue of which can be felt like the ghost of an unpleasant memory. They also communicate directly (and on a much larger bandwidth) with their mistress - they are her eyes in the city.

The people of Locastus see them as pests, much like the pigeons of another city, but dare do nothing about them, for fear of antagonizing the Moon.

Habitat

The only place in the world where these strange critters can be found is Locastus, City of Mirrors. The founders of the city quickly came into contact with these creatures, and as the City grew, so did its Orbat population. They infest the rooftops of the City, roost in its many ivy-choked towers and circle high over its streets. When something particularly interesting (such as a riot) happens, great flocks of curious Orbats congregate to enjoy the show from eaves, treetops and the ever-present ivy, looking on with their unnerving, single-eyed stare.

Combat

The Orbat is a physically weak creature, and prefer to avoid any physical confrontation by using its supernatural speed and agility. If cornered, it can release all its stored biothaumaturgic charge in one burst. The resultant spark of energy is too weak to do actual harm, but stings enough to drive, for example, a hungry dog away.

If an Orbat is severely damaged, the dream-substance filaments that holds it together will instantly dissipate, leaving behind only a puff of smoke and a handful of essential salts.

Roleplaying Notes

The Orbats, being basically inoffensive (although irritating and immensely curious) creatures, make poor opponents. They can be put to better use as a prop to set the atmosphere or as a minor nuisance to the PC´s. Let the PC´s be followed by a growing flock of these curious critters and watch them get more and more nervous. Or let one of the PC´s get zapped by an Orbat just for comic relief.

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Yeah, I know...something with the gallery, I guess...I´ll try to fix it. The pic is drawn by my friend Johanna, who is a really talented artist. Hopefully, I´ll be able to post more of her stuff soon. /David

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What about a 'criminal' society with distinct laws - for stealing, the larger the value of something stolen, the less punishment the courageous thief recieves (but must return it of course). For this pirates(?) caught petty thieves deserve to be punished harshly. If you take, you better take a lot.